Vegas Weekend Craps Experience

Just back from 6 days in Vegas and while I am not going to go into details about my hotel stays and such, I thought some would like the results and experiences of my Craps play. Overall I had my best trip in a while and was up on the side of variance with an overall profit of $1100 for the trip from craps. More interesting in how busy the tables were almost every day and night and the sometimes outright hatred toward Dark Side players like myself.

I play $10 to $25 DP and then full odds 3x-4-x-5x. It gets boring at times but I actually enjoy watching the play and action on each roll as I just sit and wait for my result.

Places I played: Paris, Ballys, Flamingo, Cosmo and Harrahs

Best Win for me: Hit 12 out of 14 (I think) in one run Thursday night at the Flamingo table by the Margaritaville bar and everyone left. Multiple dirty looks and comments during the run. The sevens were flowing so everyone was losing quickly both their money and their patience. Lots of 6's and 8's on the comeouts. I had been down a little before the run but cashed out a $650 profit after tip.

Worst experience: Ballys Sat afternoon where 2 smokers with $10 match play coupons shoved themselves into the table, each bought in for $10 during a roll and blew smoke all over everyone at my end of the table. They quickly lost and left but they showed how rude some people are. I lost a little at the table but the smokers just ruined the fun.

More upset players: Paris where the smart ass comments continued about my betting. Players were actually making money with multiple long rolls, but when they would 7 out, it was like it was my fault. I wasn't winning much but it didn't seem to matter as they assumed I was against them.

Overall I had a good time and if it wasn't for the 4's that always seemed to go against me, I would have been up a lot more.

And NO, I didn't win enough to cover the slot losses of my wife, but we had a good time overall.

Did you play at Paris on the graveyard shift on Saturday?

I used to get internally annoyed when a darkside player would come to my table, but now it doesn't bother me.

Back when I used to get annoyed I was playing at Paris when a Don't player came to our table, which had been doing so-so. As soon as he started betting, people started making points. One of the Pass players made some snide comment to the Don't who replied, "You should want me at your table. I have been losing my ass for the last 2 days."
That was when I realized it really is everyone against the house, regardless of what side of the line you are playing.

Question.
Not a craps player but have played a little bit and plan on playing some more in Vegas in 1 1/2 weeks.
This may be a dumb question so bear with me.
Can a shooter bet don't Pass?

Quote: terapined

Can a shooter bet don't Pass?

Yes, but you will keep the dice on "losing" (make the point) and lose the dice when you win (7 out). I'd say about half of the don't players I have seen will move to the pass line when they get the dice. The other half pass or shoot from the don't.

Quote: ahiromu

Yes, but you will keep the dice on "losing" (make the point) and lose the dice when you win (7 out). I'd say about half of the don't players I have seen will move to the pass line when they get the dice. The other half pass or shoot from the don't.

That's interesting. So let me see if I understand this correctly. Say I am the shooter and am playing the dark side and the crowd around the table is playing the light side. As a shooter, lets say my 1st roll is a 7. I lose but the crowd wins. I keep the dice because I technically passed but in reality I lost because I bet on myself to don't pass.

Quote: Beethoven9th

Did you play at Paris on the graveyard shift on Saturday?

Yes after the Jimmy Buffet concert for a while until maybe 1AM or so.

Quote: terapined

As a shooter, lets say my 1st roll is a 7. I lose but the crowd wins. I keep the dice because I technically passed but in reality I lost because I bet on myself to don't pass.

If one rolls a 7 on the come out (when the button is "off") that never leads to the shooter passing the dice. In the situation you mentioned, you would put down another $5 (or whatever) on the DP and keep on with the come out until you reach a point. Then if you roll a 7, you win and pass the dice. If you hit the point, you lose and keep the dice and put another $5 on the don't.

The dice passing rules do not change when you're betting on the wrong side, although they do tend to be a little awkward.

Quote: Boz

Yes after the Jimmy Buffet concert for a while until maybe 1AM or so.

I think I might have seen you. I remember seeing a guy on the Don't, but I didn't stick around. Was only there for literally about 2-3 minutes.

Quote: terapined

I lose but the crowd wins.

Yes. You and everyone else are not really betting on the shooter... you are betting on the DICE. I often bet Dont Pass and when the dice come to me I often stay on the Dont Pass which provokes the Stick to intone "From the Don't, Hoping they Won't". Everyone else usually stays on the pass line and hopes they will. Sometimes someone speaks to me about this... I usually tell them to shut up. This is one reason the house is always hesitant to roll the dice, they want some player to be doing it.

Quote: RaleighCraps

I used to get internally annoyed when a darkside player would come to my table, but now it doesn't bother me.

Back when I used to get annoyed I was playing at Paris when a Don't player came to our table, which had been doing so-so. As soon as he started betting, people started making points. One of the Pass players made some snide comment to the Don't who replied, "You should want me at your table. I have been losing my ass for the last 2 days."
That was when I realized it really is everyone against the house, regardless of what side of the line you are playing.

There was a time when my strategy was to play a $25DP and not take action on the 6 or 8 and and just move to the DC if the come out was a 6 or 8 and I would wait until 4/5/9/10 was the point and then play a $24 6 and $24 8. Not a very good strategy as it turned out and I realized it after a while. I guess I felt like the DP/DC was a good hedge against the immediate 7-out. I was getting hammered on the come out 7/11 tosses and not making enough on the 6/8 bets to cover it.

Anyway, one session I remember well was when four straight PSO's happened and I was playing that "strategy" and the guy next to me got pissed grabbed his chips, slammed the table and shouted he can't stand playing next to those F'ing don't players and stormed off. I guess he didn't realize I had lost more money on that sequence than he did.

Nothing really bothers me at the table (or in life really), but I did ask a stick man to stop using a certain call. I'll shoot from the don't, I don't care if people don't like it and I really don't care when the stick announces "shooting from the dont's", but when I would 7-out he would call "7-out, shooter made his point". I guess I didn't like the extra attention it drew to the fact that I won while the rest of the table lose. Probably silly on my part.